1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the delivery of proppant to a well site. More particularly, the present invention relates to proppant containers and techniques for causing the proppant containers to discharge proppant therein onto a conveyor, or other means, for transport to the well site. The present invention also relates to a truck trailer that is suitable for allowing loads thereon to be translatably moved along the length of the trailer.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractions in a rock layer caused by the presence of pressurized fluid. Hydraulic fractures may form naturally, in the case of veins or dikes, or may be man-made in order to release petroleum, natural gas, coal seam gas, or other substances for extraction. Fracturing is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations. The energy from the injection of a highly-pressurized fracking fluid creates new channels in the rock which can increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of fossil fuels. The fracture width is typically maintained after the injection by introducing a proppant into the injected fluid. Proppant is a material, such as grains of sand, ceramic, or other particulates, that prevent the fractures from closing when the injection is stopped.
With the rise of hydraulic fracturing over the past decade, there is a steep climb in proppant demand. Global supplies are currently tight. The number of proppant suppliers worldwide has increased since 2000 from a handful to well over fifty sand, ceramic proppant and resin-coat producers.
By the far the dominant proppant is silica sand, made up of ancient weathered quartz, the most common mineral in the Earth's continental crust. Unlike common sand, which often feels gritty when rubbed between the fingers, sand used as a proppant tends to roll to the touch as a result of its round, spherical shape and tightly-graded particle distribution. Sand quality is a function of both deposit and processing. Grain size is critical, as any given proppant must reliably fall within certain mesh ranges, subject to downhole conditions and completion design. Generally, coarser proppant allows the higher flow capacity due to the larger pore spaces between grains. However, it may break down or crush more readily under stress due to the relatively fewer grain-to-grain contact points to bear the stress often incurred in deep oil- and gas-bearing formations.
Typically, in any hydraulic fracturing operation, a large amount of such proppant is required. Typically, it has been difficult to effectively store the proppant at the fracturing sites. Additionally, it has been found to be rather difficult to effectively transport the proppant to the desired location. Often, proppant is hauled to the desired locations on the back of trucks and is dumped onsite. Under such circumstances, the proppant is often exposed to adverse weather conditions. This will effectively degrade the quality of the proppant during its storage. Additionally, the maintenance of proppant in containers at the hydraulic fracturing site requires a large capital investment in storage facilities. Typically, the unloading of such storage facilities is carried out on a facility-by-facility basis. As such, there is a need to be able to effectively transport the proppant to and store the proppant in a desired location adjacent to the hydraulic fracturing location.
In the past, there have been various patent applications publications that have been published and patents issued by the present inventor in relation to containers for the transport of proppant. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,505,780, issued on Aug. 13, 2013 to the present inventor, describes a proppant storage vessel that has a first container with an interior volume and a second container supported in spaced relation above the first container. The first container has a bottom hatch affixed to a bottom wall thereof. The bottom hatch is movable between an open position and a closed position. The first container has an opening at a top wall thereof. The second container has bottom hatch formed on a bottom wall thereof. The bottom hatch of the second container is aligned with the opening of the first container such that a proppant in the second container can flow through the hatch thereof into the interior volume of the first container. Each of the containers includes first, second, third and fourth inclined surfaces positioned in the interior volume and extending from the respective side walls and end walls thereof toward the bottom hatch.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0164112, published on Jun. 27, 2013 to the present inventor, describes a system of delivering and storing proppant for use at a well site and container for such proppant. The method includes the step of transporting a load of proppant in a vessel to a desired location, moving the load of proppant from the vessel into a container so as to create a proppant-loaded container, unloading the proppant-loaded container into a pneumatic bulk trailer, and transporting the unloaded proppant in the pneumatic bulk trailer to well site. The container is placed onto a bed of a truck and moved in proximity to the vessel. The proppant-loaded container is placed onto a tilting mechanism and then tilted so that the proppant is discharged through a flow gate of a container into a hopper.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0161211, published on Jun. 27, 2013 to present inventor, describes a proppant storage vessel that has a first container with an interior volume and a second container supported in spaced relationship above the first container. The first container has a bottom hatch affixed to a bottom wall thereof. The bottom hatch is movable between an open position and a closed position. The second container has bottom hatch formed on a bottom wall thereof. The bottom hatch of the second container is aligned with the opening of the first container such that a proppant in the second container can flow through the hatch thereof into the interior volume of the first container.
A variety of designs patents have issued relating to containers for the transport and storage of proppant. For example, U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 688,349, 688,350 and 688,351, issued on Aug. 20, 2013 to the present inventor, all describe various designs of proppant vessels. U.S. Design Pat. No. D688,722, issued on Aug. 27, 2013 to the present inventor, also describes a design of a proppant vessel.
In the past, various patents have also issued relating to container trailers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,768, issued on Sep. 17, 1985 to Walker et al., describes a container trailer having a vertically movable roller tray with parallel rollers thereon which, when tangent to the roll plane, allow the container to be moved onto or off of the trailer. A vertically movable caster tray of the trailer has fixed caster wheels thereon with their axes of rotation intersecting a vertical axis near the center of the trailer. When the wheels provide sole support for the container at the roll plane, the container may be rotated about the vertical axis to any desired position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,896, issued on Sep. 5, 2006 to H. Cox, describes a shipping container handling system that includes a plurality of powered jacks each of which includes upper and lower container attachment members and are selectively engageable with upper and lower corner lock castings of the containers. Each attachment member is carried by a guide sleeve slideably mounted relative to a vertical standard with an upper guide sleeve being drivingly engaged with a power driven member such that, with the attachment members engaged with the corner locks of the container, the simultaneous activation of four jacks allows the elevation and/or lowering of a shipping container relative to a vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,829 issued on Nov. 14, 2006 to Quenzi et al., provides a cargo trailer that includes a frame, at least two axles mounted to the frame, and a deck. The axles have wheels at opposite ends of the axles for movably supporting the frame above the earth. The deck is pivotally mounted to the frame and is pivotable about a first axis relative to the frame and a second axis relative to the frame via at least two supports.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,933, issued on Jan. 11, 2011 to Welch et al., discloses a container trailer that has a frame positionable as a single unit about a container such that the frame can be attached to the container in four regions of the container so as to lift the container. The trailer frame can be positioned about the container by laterally expanding and retracting, pivoting about a horizontal axis, and pivoting about a vertical axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,802,958, issued on Sep. 28, 2010 to Garcia et al., teaches a versatile trailer deck and to a method for moving cargo onto such a trailer deck. The trailer deck can have first and second moving apparatus attached to a deck member. The first moving apparatus is adapted to move cargo between the back end of the deck member and the front end of the deck member. The second moving apparatus is adapted to rotate cargo from one orientation on the deck member to a second orientation on the deck member. A plurality of rollers are supported on the pivotable deck.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,950,675, issued on May 31, 2011 to Quenzi et al., shows a cargo carrier for movably supporting cargo. The cargo carrier has a frame configured to support the cargo and at least two wheels at each side of the frame. Each of the wheels is rotatably mounted to a respective support arm. The support arms are pivotally mounted to respective sides of the frame and are pivotable relative to the frame to adjust at least one of a height and tilt of the frame relative to a support surface. The cargo carrier can include a deck that is movably mounted to the frame and is longitudinally movable along the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,182,193, issued on May 22, 2012 to Gaudet et al., provides a trailer for transporting freight containers. This trailer has a frame having a front frame section which is adapted to be coupled to a suitable road vehicle. A pair of displaceable horizontal side beams are secured to the front frame section and are provided with a hingeable rear gate formed by a pair of hinge arms. Container lifting posts are secured to opposed ends of the front frame section and the hinge arms for removable connection to a container positioned between the side beams to lift and lower the container therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,313,278, issued on Nov. 20, 2012 to Simmons et al., provides a modular interchangeable cargo deck which is configured to be removably and interchangeably attached to a trailer. The deck unit can include a plurality of moving apparatus for moving cargo in a lengthwise direction relative to the deck units and for moving cargo in a vertical direction relative to the deck unit.
In these prior art references, it is quite clear that none of the trailers are adapted for the use in association with delivering proppant to a well site. The complication with such trailers involves the configuration of the proppant storage containers and also the weight of the proppant that is contained within such containers. None of the prior art references are particularly adaptable for allowing the discharge of proppant from a container to a location below the bed of the trailer. Additionally, and furthermore, none of the prior art references disclose a technique whereby the trailer can be relatively easily loaded and/or unloaded through the use of simple lifting mechanisms and/or forklifts.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D688,597, issued on Aug. 27, 2013 to the present inventor, shows a trailer for proppant containers. The trailer has a unique external appearance and is suitable for supporting a container of proppant in a fixed position on a top surface of the trailer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for proppant to a well site which conveniently and easily allows the proppant to be delivered.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for the delivery of proppant to a well site which allows the proppant containers to be easily placed and removed from the bed of a trailer with simple lifting mechanisms and/or forklifts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for the delivery of proppant to a well site which minimizes the number of movable components associated with the delivery of proppant.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for the delivery of proppant to a well site which can be easily moved along a roadway or at the well site so as to be located in a desired position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for the delivery of proppant to a well site that is easy to use, relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.